Somethings really do matter
by A Gentle Intoxication
Summary: After over six months of not being able to see her, Shikamaru finally gets a chance to travel to Suna for village purposes, though, that isn’t the reason he wants to go. The only reason he is interested is because he gets to see her again. Sequel.
1. His Obsession

Chapter one; Starting over again.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he keep his head straight?! Almost every other thought was of her, and there was nothing he could do about it. His duty was to his village, and her duty was to hers. There was nothing he could do to change that. It seemed as if she had been teasing him the since the beginning, using him like a puppet how ever she saw fit. It was as if he was spell bound. Everything always came back to her, no matter how he tried to block her out. Everywhere he looked another image of her would penetrate his already clouded mind. What was it about this woman that seemed to do this to him? He had only just started really getting to know her, and all of a sudden he couldn't stop thinking about the woman.

Even his dreams were invaded by her. Nothing he seemed to do would get rid of the images that flashed through his disturbed mind. Nights spent in the park, the market, his house and her own. God, why did she have to leave? What was so compelling about her that made him not want her to leave? To him, she looked like a goddess.

Maybe that was the reason. Maybe that was why he couldn't forget. Perhaps it was just because he was male, and she, female. Perhaps it was simply for the reason that it was his first kiss?

He doubted it.

Though, he didn't really have the experience to know for sure. It had been over six months since she had left. Every chance he received, he would request that he be the one sent to Suna for the negotiations.

"Shikamaru," Tsunade started, elbows resting firmly on her desk while her hands held up her head, "Don't be such an idiot."

The shinobi flinched at the term and the bluntness of the statement, but stayed silent. He knew that Tsunade was not finished. His mission here was to convince her that he was the best candidate to travel to Suna, not to get himself scolded.

The Hokage continued. "You know I need you here. You probably know better than anyone else in this village how much help we need at the current moment." Tsunade lifted up her head, fixing him with a hard glare. "For the better recovery of Konoha, try not to obsess yourself over a woman that you can not be with."

Shikamaru gazed at the woman before him with a straight face. The comment had hurt; however, he did not show it. Oh God, did it hurt. Obsess? Was he really obsessing over her? Of course he was, he couldn't stop thinking about her!

Now that he thought about it, the problem struck him straight in the face. He couldn't be with her after all. Hell, they lived in two diverse villages, over three days run away.

Suddenly, Temari's face intruded his mind. Her blond hair, her blue-green eyes. God, he even remembered the first time he had seen her with her golden hair loose. He hadn't realized how long it actually was. Of course, being Temari, she had insisted that he himself take his hair down. Shikamaru inwardly smiled at the pleasant memory. After a few minutes of arguing, he had ended up with his hair binder suddenly torn through with a kunai. He hadn't comprehended how long his hair had gotten. More things ran through his mind. How they met, their first battle… Their first kiss… How could he have tried to block her out?! Something was terribly wrong with him.

"But—" Shikamaru started, he didn't want to give this up just yet.

"Shikamaru!" She pulled him away from what he was just about to say with a shout. "Halt this nonsense immediately!" She was irritated now. He could tell. Small strands of her long bond hair fell over her face.

Shikamaru froze. Had he just done what he thought he had done?

Tsunade steamed, slamming the front of her palms onto her dark wooden desk. "This _thing_ that you have going on with Temari has gone on for long enough. Over the past eight months you have been slacking off your duties as a chuunin, pushing important assignments all the way to the back of your mind, and even ignoring essential informational meetings, all because of this imaginary love! I will not—no, I _can_ not ignore it any longer."

Had he really been doing all of that? He hadn't even realized it. Wait… What was she going to do about it? Shikamaru focused intently with eyes wide at the frowning Hokage. Oh God… He already knew.

Tsunade shook her head back and fourth with eyes closed. "I forbid you from seeing her anymore."

Shikamaru's immediate response was a gapping mouth and a look of denial on his shocked face. "But, you can't do that!" The shinobi shouted. What had made him so suddenly react like that? He didn't know. All he knew was that, whatever it took, he _would _get to see Temari again.

Tsunade's anger was back, and it showed as she stood from her desk in a flash and glared at him. "Yes. I. Can." She put meaning on every word. "As Hokage, _I _will make the decisions on what is best for the village, and what _you_ think and feel have no power over my judgments."

Shizune stood quietly in the back of the room, waiting to see what was to happen to the young chuunin. She held Ton Ton gently in her arms as she continued to view the... well… discussion.

No, he wasn't going to let her judge his life. "Excuse me, Tsunade-sama, it is not your place to decide who and who I am not permitted to see." Shikamaru stated firmly.

"Yes, Shikamaru, it is. When it is involved with the well being of this village, which, may I remind you, I am the Hokage of, it is my place to decide." Tsunade shot back, even more sternly than before.

Before Shikamaru had a chance to respond, the Hokage interrupted. "My decision is final, you may leave now."

The young chuunin just stood there, shocked and a bit angered at the outcome of the conversation. Again, before he could comment, Tsunade shot back, "Now!"

And that was it. There was simply nothing else he could do to change her mind. Tsunade was very well known for her stubbornness, and, if you went too deep into her skin, her violence.

Shikamaru shut his eyes tight and bowed. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

The boy turned and left without another word, gently closing the large double doors behind him.

As the entrance shut, Shizune slowly made her way over to the Hokage.

"You know, Tsunade-sama, you didn't have to—"

Tsunade sighed, resting her head against her arms again, eyes closed. "Don't, Shizune." She stated simply, keeping her face down. "Just don't."

Shizune frowned, placing Ton Ton onto the carpeted flooring as she set her own palms on the large wooden desk. "You didn't have to go that far."

The Hokage scowled. Sure, Shizune was the most trustworthy person she knew, but it seemed as if she still treated her as a friend, rather than the Hokage sometimes. God, the shinobi in Konoha were so damned opinionated!

"Listen, Shizune, what I did was for the best of the village. I do not need to explain myself to you, nor anyone else for that matter. So please, just forget about the subject." Tsunade ordered, raising her head to look her subordinate in the eye.

Unfortunately, Shizune didn't back down as she had planed. Staring straight back at her, she gripped the edge of the desk. "After what he has been through, do you plan on making it even worse?" She shot.

Tsunade flinched slightly. Even though Ino and Choji were both in the same team, Asuma's death had most definitely hit Shikamaru the hardest of the three.

"What was I supposed to do, Shizune?!" Tsunade fumed. "I don't think anyone really knows how much we need that boy right now, and with him fanaticizing over a girl almost every second he's conscious, it makes it extremely difficult to trust him to concentrate on something." Tsunade sighed. "It's not as if he can see her anyway, living in two different villages. Besides, it's just a childish infatuation. He'll get over it soon." God, she didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now. "Please leave now."

Shizune knew when enough was enough. Bowing slightly to the Hokage, she gently picked up Ton Ton and made her way through the doorway without a word.

* * *

"Hey, Shikamaru! You okay?" Naruto called to the young Chuunin, which wasn't really necessary being as they were standing right next to each other.

Shikamaru flinched at the volume of Naruto's voice. Was he always so damned loud?!... Of course he was, he was Naruto…

"Yes, Naruto, I'm fine." The slightly older shinobi replied as they made their ways through the village.

All around them people crowded the streets. Noises ran through one ear on and out the next, unimportant conversations that did not involve him in the slightest way what so ever. From one step to the next, right left, right left, right left… Nothing was what it used to be… There wasn't a day anymore where he could simply leave and lounge underneath the shaded presence of the clouds, staring indolently at them for hours upon hours on end. That was only four weeks, three days, eighteen hours, forty-five minuets and forty-six seconds ago… forty-seven… forty-eight… forty-nine…

"Yo, Shikamaru?" Naruto shouted again from his side. Seriously, this guy could become the death of his hearing.

Shikamaru turned to the shorter shinobi, an insignificantly, though still noticeably, irritated look set upon his features. "What is it, Naruto?" He replied with a minor frown.

Naruto mimicked him. "Hey, what's with that face?!" He demanded furiously, attracting unwanted attention Shikamaru was not entirely thankful for.

"It was nothing, Naruto, please calm down." Shikamaru reassured him, patted him firmly on the shoulder, and then continued on his way home. When it seemed as if the blond wasn't following anymore, Shikamaru glanced back. "Hey, didn't you have something to ask me?"

It seemed as if a huge explosion went off in the shinobi's head as he remembered. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Naruto exclaimed as he rushed up to his comrade. "Gezz, you make me forget things all the time! Always with your smart ass comments and those other things! Bastard…"

Shikamaru couldn't help but grin at the complement. "I try." He said more to himself, really. And besides, Naruto couldn't hear him, due to the fact that he was still rambling on and on about how he used to large words, and that half of the time Naruto had no idea what they even meant.

Just then, Naruto paused, staring with an odd look of loss on his face at something behind him. Shikamaru turned with curiosity. His eyes spread wide in slight shock when he spotted three Shinobi from Suna standing there, and from the looks of it, they were heading towards the Hokage's office. The first one he recognized very well, being that they took the chuunin exam together, and not to mention, he was Temari's younger brother.

The puppet user turned his head and grinned, nodding as he continued with his other companions. With his beloved puppets and random purple tattoos, he looked exactly the way he did the last time they saw each other. The second man was just a guard from Suna. Shikamaru couldn't even remember his rank, let alone his name, which concerned him a tiny bit. Damn, he hated it when he forgot things. What made it even worse was that he didn't even recognize the third person at all. Was he new or something? Clad in the long brownish-tan robes of the desert, only half his face showing due to a white cloth hanging from the top of his turban, the man completely ignored him and looked straight to the blond beside him.

Shikamaru turned back to his companion to see a slight glimmer in his eyes right as he jumped up and pointed at the individual. Just as Naruto was about to shout something out, Kankuro gave him a quick death glare, shutting the boy up completely. Naruto only laughed and waved with a slightly nervous grin as the three disappeared into the crowd.

As the last glimpse of the three dissolved, Shikamaru turned to the shorter Shinobi. "Hey, Naruto, did you know him?" He asked, indicating the direction the Shinobi had gone with his head.

At first he looked completely confused. "Know who?" He replied, cocking his head slightly to the side.

Shikamaru sighed, lifting his right hand up to the side of his head. "That shinobi, Naruto. The one that was staring straight at you, remember?"

Naruto burst out with laughter, grabbing his stomach with both arms and leaning over to suppress the fit of giggles. "Of course I know him, idiot!" He answered, still trying, although failing, to keep the laughter inside. "Shit, and they call me stupid!"

Shikamaru was extremely surprised at his friend's sudden outburst, and a bit more than offended when one of the most dimwitted Shinobi in the village called him stupid. What the hell was so funny? He thought, frowning even farther.

"You know, he's Temari's brother—" Naruto quickly shut his mouth. Turning to the side, he spotted something. "Hey, look over there!" He changed the subject. "Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving!"

The building he was pointing to was a small new restaurant in the part of the village, and didn't look half bad, though he didn't know why they needed another barbeque place in Konoha. They had plenty. And that was all beside the point, which was, of course, the fact that Naruto had things mixed up again.

"No, Naruto. I was talking about the other one. You know the short one on the far left? He was giving you a strange look." Shikamaru clarified.

Trying to stray away from the subject even farther, Naruto said, "Hey, I was going to tell you something, remember?" He asked.

Shikamaru sighed with defeat. He guessed it wasn't that important anyway, he could always find out who it was later. "Fine, Naruto. Shoot."

"Umm, I forgot again."

* * *

"Hokage-sama, the shinobi from Suna have arrived." Shizune announced as she lead the three into Tsunade's office.

"So now, what is it that you require, Kankuro?" Tsunade asked from behind her large wooden desk, trying inconspicuously to wipe away a small blotch of ink that had smeared onto her face from the paper work below her.

Kankuro strode up farther into the room and bowed slightly to the woman in front of him. "It has been discussed and requested by the council of elders in Suna that the village of Konoha send a representative to become a member of our board to better our alliance." The shinobi reported, coming back up to face her.

Tsunade was quite a bit shocked at first, but realized that the idea sounded reasonable. "Of course, has your council proposed any requests as to who should be sent, or do they have no particular preference?" The blond asked, straightening herself out a bit more.

Kankuro looked back to one of his companions for a moment before continuing. "Actually, Tsunade-sama, the Kazekage himself has made a personal request as to who it should be." He finished, looking the Hokage straight in the eyes. He could already tell she knew from the sudden look in her face.

Tsunade's face hardened. "And who might that be now, Kankuro?" She inquired politely, yet with a sort of venom that nobody could miss.

"Nara Shikamaru, Tsunade-sama." He replied quickly, not wanting to anger her, though not wanting to return home without an attempt either.

"Denied." Her answer was abrupt, though not entirely unexpected. The book in front of her was slammed shut with force as her eyes focused on the three.

Kankuro stumbled. "But, Hokage-sama—"

"Shut up, Kankuro." The shinobi beside him scolded.

The puppet user closed his mouth immediately.

The one who spoke threw back the cloth over his head to reveal spiky red hair and fiery turquoise eyes. "I have had about enough of this." Gaara stated as both Shizune and Tsunade looked on with surprise at his presence.

The Kazekage turned to Tsunade with an unemotional look resting upon his face. "The shinobi I ask for this job is who he is."

Tsunade still found it highly unlikely that they would be able to convince her against her answer, so she played along. "Listen, Kazekage-sama. Due to certain circumstances, Nara Shikamaru is unfit to uphold this mission that you request of him."

Gaara's face stayed emotionless. "And is there a specific reason as to why that is?" He asked stoically.

"I would not be denying his ability to complete the mission if I didn't." She replied.

"Then may I please hear the reason so that I may judge whether it is legitimate or not?"

Tsunade tried hard not to scowl at the youth. He could be quite tiring, the Kazekage. "I think, Kazekage-sama, that it is my duty to judge whether or not my shinobi are prepared or not to uphold a mission. So if you would, chose a different shinobi for the task or leave it for me to decide."

The Kazekage's face hardened. "I believe, Hokage-sama, that I have already chosen the most suitable shinobi for the task, it is simply your blindness that withholds this knowledge from you, apparently."

* * *

"You know, Naruto, simply because we came to a nice restaurant for a change it doesn't mean you have to buy every single thing on the menu." Shikamaru stated, watching as his blond friend gorged himself on almost every thing all at once. "I swear, you get more and more like Choji every day." He added when he noticed that he wasn't listening. The boy completely ignored him as he continued on his feast.

"Shikamaru-kun?"

He turned around to find Ino standing near the door way of the restaurant. She waved him over.

After a quick glance back at his still feasting buddy, he decided that Naruto wouldn't mind much if he went suddenly missing for a while. It was getting late at any rate; his mother would throw a fit if he returned home belated.

Shikamaru silently slid away from the booth they were sitting at and briskly made his way over to the entrance where Ino was sill waiting for him, a worried look placed on her features. The moment Shikamaru arrived at where his friend was standing she left in silence, signaling him to follow. He was a bit confused for a moment, but made the decision to follow her anyway. For ten minutes the two of them walked in silence. It was than that Shikamaru decided to break the quietness that stood between them. He halted, waiting for her to do the same. Once she did, he asked, "where are we going?"

Ino's face suddenly became uncharacteristically serious. "Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Hmm?"

Ino sighed slightly, leaning up against a fence. "The Hokage-sama had issued an order to you, and has asked me to deliver it."

Shikamaru nodded a tiny bit, wondering why Tsunade wouldn't have told him herself.

Ino stayed silent for another moment before she continued. "You are to leave for Suna first thing in the morning. The other shinobi from the sand will be your escort."

* * *

A/N. What do you think so far? Plz tell me! I know it has been a while, but I finally finished the chapter, and felt like putting it up as soon as possible. Let me know if you want me to continue or not. See ya! **hugs**


	2. His Confusion

Chapter two: Suna.

Shikamaru paced silently on the wooden floorboards of his room, trying hard not to burst into the fit of bliss he knew was only held back by a single thread of self-control. He couldn't believe Tsunade had actually changed her mind! No wonder she had someone else deliver the message.

He let a tiny smirk escape his blank face as he pictured seeing Temari again… but wait. Would she feel the same way? Of course she would, she seemed just as attracted to him as he was to her. Shikamaru shook his head slightly, ceasing his slow pace to a stop. He had to clear his mind.

It must have been Kankuro and the other two that had persuaded her from her previous decision. The name of the guard came to him clearly now, Chikurin of the first guard. Yes, that was it. Though it still frustrated him that he couldn't find out who the other man was… He would have to think about it a bit more.

Shikamaru jumped slightly at the abrupt pounding at his door. Moving quickly to the entrance, he pulled the round door hold open.

Choji stared at him with a large grin.

Shikamaru smirked slightly, standing to the side and opening the door a bit more, creating room for his friend to enter.

"So, when were you planning to tell me?" Choji asked, trailing over the entrance into the room. "Or were you just going to leave?"

"Sorry, Choji. I guess I just forgot." He apologized, scolding himself inwardly for forgetting something.

Choji just laughed. "Now that's something I'll have to remember, you actually forgetting something! It doesn't happen very often."

"Thanks for reminding me."

* * *

Choji had left some time ago so that he could pack what belongings he needed for his mission. After he was finished, he striped himself of his vest and shirt and strode out of his room and though the exit of his back door. After deciding on where he wanted to go, he set off to the closest destination in his mind. A very familiar park. Once he arrived, he slowly took a seat on the cool grass beneath his feet. The wind blew gently through his loose hair as he reminisced.

Then a sudden cringe set itself upon his face as he remembered a particularly unpleasant memory. Imagine, if you would, an unbelievably drunk woman hanging off of you in the middle of a bar… and then being caught by your father in the awkward position. And then having to return to your house with said woman after making out with her in a park.

Shikamaru flinched slightly again as he remembered the fight he had gotten in with his mother. Though, Temari had saved the day by intervening. Afterwards, he was glad that he had brought her.

A slight noise brought him out of his memories with a quick jolt. Leaning up on his hands, Shikamaru looked back to see a tall figure standing behind him.

"Shikamaru?"

He relaxed at the familiar voice. "Hmm?"

His father came down next to him and took a seat beside his son. The two of them said nothing for the first few moments; they simply gazed up at the stars. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Shikaku turned his head towards his son, a tiny smirk gracing his rugged features.

"This place brings back great memories, don't you think?" He inquired, nudging the boy in the side.

Shikamaru almost blushed. "What are you talking about?"

His father laughed. "You don't really think I went straight back home after I left the bar searching, did you?"

This time, his face turned pure scarlet. "What?"

"We were met with quite an interesting sight when we arrived here, too."

Shikamaru paused for a second…. Wait…

"We?"

Shikaku laughed even harder. "God, half the bar came out after you to see what would happen! I don't really know why, but it seemed like they were content with what they saw, and all decided to leave… After a while, anyway."

No wonder people always gave him funny looks whenever he passed by that bar…

Shikaku cleared his throat, gaining back Shikamaru's attention. His fathers face suddenly became serious. "Your mother actually sent me out here for a reason. We have to talk about something." He started, worrying him a little. "About you leaving."

Shikamaru sighed with relief. Good, it was just about that.

"Well, your mother wanted me to talk to you, seeing as you'll be," He seemed a bit uncomfortable about something, "living with that woman and all…"

Shikamaru suddenly froze… What! "What are you talking about?!" Shikamaru exclaimed. His blush was back again. "Who told you that?"

Shikaku recoiled a tiny bit, shocked by his son's uncharacteristic outburst. "You mother and I only assumed…"

Shikamaru cut him off. "Stop assuming!"

* * *

Blotched out by large gray clouds, the sun hid completely from sight. Drops of rain fell relentlessly from the sky, drenching everything underneath it within seconds of exposure. All around, birds and insects alike fled the moisture as four figures below leapt swiftly through Konoha's outer forest not ten minuets from the gate.

Shikamaru slowly brushed a thin piece of hair out of his face as he sped on towards his destination. On his left Kankuro and his younger brother Gaara, to his right was the Kazekage's guard, Chikurin. They all traveled in complete silence. After several attempts at conversation, Shikamaru just left it as it was. Apparently, the Kazekage wasn't in a particularly good mood, and none of them really wanted to get on his bad side.

Though he normally didn't mind the rain much, at the particular moment he was in, he was sure that if it were a person, he would kill it. He hated the feeling of heavy cloth dragging from his body as he moved on through the brush. It was as if he were being weighed down by another person, persistently holding on with all their worth.

Man, he hated it.

Their departure hadn't been as simple as he had imagined, though, being that three hours before dawn he was awoken by his mother, claiming that she had suddenly decided that he couldn't leave. It had taken both him and his father to persuade her otherwise. By the time she had given in, he only had less than ten minuets to rest before he had to depart.

Shikamaru sniffled back a yawn that was threatening to emerge as he remembered how tired he was. He decided that the first thing he would do when he arrived in Suna would be to take a nice long nap. After finding a place to stay, of course.

"Shikamaru?"

The shinobi turned to Kankuro as he continued to leap to the next mossy tree. "Hmm?" He answered lazily. Finally, someone decided to say something…

A sudden noise from behind stopped all four shinobi in their tracks. All four sets of eyes focused on a single kunai as it flew past them, digging itself firmly within the bark of a large tree. As if on queue, dozens more came following the first.

Without a word, Shikamaru flung himself behind a large tree, pressing his back up against the hard wood. Once the attack stopped, he turned his head off to the right to check on his companions. Two of them had followed what he had done, seeking the trees for protection. Gaara simply guarded himself the way he usually did; with his sand.

Kankuro, knowing full well not to shout out to lose their position, simply nodded to Shikamaru. Nodding back, he turned to Gaara, whose eyes were narrowed to slits.

As if noting where they were, the kunai suddenly came from the opposite direction, forcing the three shinobi to the other side of the trees as well. Shikamaru noticed a bit too late that each one held an explosive note…

* * *

A large, simultaneous explosion emitted from the kunai in a wave of destruction, leaving everything in the area completely obliterated. Two figures slowly slipped out into the now open area. They were completely covered, head to tow, in black. The only openings in the outfit were the thin slits in the face for sight.

The shorter of the two spoke first, in a slightly feminine male voice. "Well, that was easier then expected. I had almost dared to hope that they might not be dead…"

The taller held out a hand and pointed his index finger out in front of him, to a small object far off into the crater they had just created. The first one leaned forward and squinted his eyes a bit to focus at the spot. It was a… a globe of sand!

The man visibly brightened. "I had thought that our attack was a bit straightforward for the Kazekage! I am quite pleased!"

A small portion of the sand orb gave a bit, to reveal a stoic faced Gaara and his bodyguard.

"Oh, so there were two of them! That's even better!"

"What is this guy?"

The two men turned quickly to the right to see two other shinobi, the one from the leaf, and the other Gaara's older brother, Kankuro. It had seemed like they used one of Kankuro's defensive puppets for a shield.

"Well, it seems Konoha's ninja aren't completely ignorant, they just can't look out for themselves." The shorter one chuckled to his companion.

The leaf ninja gazed straight back at the enemy. "It seems as if all these two can do is insult people and throw things. We might as well get this over with as soon as possible."

Kankuro smirked slightly, nodding. "Agreed."

The short ninja snickered. "Come then, let us see who will be dealing with whom." In a deft spurt of speed, he vanished, leaving nothing behind as an indication that he had even been there.

As the dark haired young man crouched low, he reached into his pockets for a few kunai. However, before he could pull them out of their case, Kankuro held out a hand to stop him. When the boy looked at him curiously, he just nodded over to his younger brother.

"I believe Gaara wants to deal with them."

* * *

The battle had only taken a few short moments before the two unknown ninjas were thrown face-first onto the cold forest ground. The shorter one muttered a curse as he attempted to regain his footing, only to receive a good kick in the back by Kankuro.

"Stay where you are." Was his short command.

Shikamaru and the other two came up to the fallen shinobi soon after. Again, the same ninja muttered a new chorus of curses. As a reward, Kankuro shoved the male down hard with another brutal kick. "I said, stay there."

Shikamaru turned from face to face, expecting one of them to do something. When no one made a move, Shikamaru gave up.

"We might as well find out who these two are while their laying there so kindly for us." He commented, peering around Kankuro's back to take a quick glance at the two shinobi.

The puppet master agreed silently, and with a slight nod from Gaara, knelt down to pull the black mask from the loud one's face. What he was met with shocked him. "Tsubaki?" Kankuro exclaimed, stepping back from the young sand shinobi.

Now Shikamaru was thoroughly confused. Kankuro knew him?

Tsubaki smirked. "Surprising, humm?"

Gaara let out a frown. "Why are you—" He was cut off.

"Trying to kill you?" He interjected. "Why not! Ever since you became the Kazekage, everything's gone from bad, to worse for us!" He accused. "With your Idiotic treaty with Konoha." He spat, glaring for a moment at the confused Shikamaru. "How can you rely on such a pitiful country such as the fire?"

"So you decided to revolt? How stupid are you?" Kankuro scolded, amazed at the young shinobi's utter stupidity. "And I'm guessing this was all your idea?" He inquired, knowing full well that it couldn't have been. Sure, Tsubaki was tough; however, he couldn't believe that he had come up with such an idea on his own. Deep down, the ninja was a coward.

"Of course not!" He replied right away, falling for his trap in an instant. Right as he was about to blurt out the name of their leader, a sudden shock coursed though his body. His eyes shot wide, akin to his silent but gapping mouth.

"Tsubaki! What—" The other unknown shinobi started before he too froze.

Before long, both shinobi were dead. There was nothing any of the four ninjas could do about it.

* * *

After arriving in Suna…

"Where exactly am I supposed to stay?" Shikamaru asked as a particular conversation with his father surfaced on his mind.

Kankuro turned to him with a slight smirk. "You'll be staying with us, duh." He sounded like it was completely obvious from the start. "I'm not exactly sure why, but Gaara insisted."

Shikamaru quickly suppressed a blush as he shook his head, staying silent as his guide brought him to what would be his home for the next month. His job was to simply attend the meetings, and report back to Konoha every month, sending a simple note by carrier bird every week. Not to hard.

Throwing his mind back to his surroundings, Shikamaru viewed the buildings around him. Tall, gritty and brown. That is what he originally thought they would look like. All around him, he couldn't find a single building that looked similar to another. It amazed him at how detailed the buildings actually were.

As they continued on their path, the two of them stopped for something to eat, and then continued on their way.

During the whole trip, Shikamaru couldn't stop thinking about the two ninjas they had encountered in their trip. Their death was something completely confusing to him. How did it happen? Was it some sort of jutsu? It must have been. Shikamaru thought as they came up to a group of middle classed sized buildings.

"So," Kankuro started, throwing the door open to one of the houses, "This is it."


	3. His Joy and Pain

**Chapter three. **

"So," Kankuro started, throwing the door open to one of the houses, "This is it."

Kankuro held the door open for him as he strode into the middle sized house. Once within the entrance hall, Shikamaru gasped at the plainness of it. From what he knew, the three sand siblings were relatively modest people. Well, mostly anyway. Even so, he hadn't expected the Kazekage of a village to live in such a… a… normal place. Realizing that Kankuro was still standing right behind him, and that he wore an easily offensive expression of shock upon his face, Shikamaru covered it up with a simple look of indifference and turned to his host.

Kankuro chuckled knowingly as he brushed past the leaf ninja. "Come on, I'll show you around." He stated as he strode down a short hallway directly to the front of them. "I know it's not the most glamorous place you could imagine, but this is really all we need." He explained, turning a plain corner.

Shikamaru followed him, contemplating. Now that he thought about it, it seemed logical enough. There were no extra rooms to keep clean, and on top of that, the villagers couldn't really complain about their Kazekage's residence being so much better than their own homes.

Kankuro stopped at a door to the right. "This is where you'll be staying." He opened the entrance to expose an ordinary looking room. "Like I said; Not much, but it all works out for the best." Kankuro shoved him inside. "Go. You can set your stuff down and get yourself familiar with it. I'll be in the room right across from yours when your done." He declared, shutting the door behind him.

Shikamaru turned away from the door, gazing at his new home for the next month. Again, like he had said, it was small. Only a single bed, dresser, nightstand, and a one door closet with three shelves. Not to bad. It seemed nice enough.

Shikamaru did as he was told, placing his beg upon his bed and turning to look through the lone window. The opening sported dark red curtains hanging from a lone silver bar. It was simple, and yet nevertheless tasteful. He liked it.

All in all, (excluding the attack from the forest) it seemed as if his trip wasn't going to be half bad.

* * *

Shikamaru knocked slightly at the door across from his own when he was finished. Kankuro pulled open from the other side, coming out into the hall beside his guest.

"Done?" He inquired, looking past Shikamaru to the door behind him.

Shikamaru simply nodded in affirmation.

Kankuro grinned. "Good, now I can show you around a bit more. After that we can go out and get something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

His host led him back to the first hallway and turned to the first door on the right without touching it. "That room there is Gaara's, though he doesn't really use it much." He pointed behind him next. "And that one there is Temari's." Kankuro nudged a little closer to Shikamaru. "Even I don't go in there. You never know what you'll find in a woman's room." He finished with a shudder, leading him back down the hall.

Shikamaru shuddered with him. "Where are those two anyway?" He asked, coming up right behind the puppet user as he led Shikamaru to their tiny kitchen.

Kankuro shrugged. "Gaara's in some sort of meeting; that's why he left as soon as we got here." He paused for a moment. "Temari? I'm not too sure. Can't really keep track of her now a days." He turned to face his guest. "And let me tell you this; she wasn't too thrilled to find out that she couldn't travel to Konoha anymore. Believe me; I have no idea why she liked leaving either." Kankuro flipped back and continued to show him to the back door.

Shikamaru could only wonder what it was that drew her to Konoha. He had an idea… Well, more like a hope, that it was because of him, but Temari was more work oriented than that. She took jobs and missions very seriously, though she did become a bit cocky whenever she faced an enemy. Sometimes he wondered if what the two of them had was really just a pleasure ride for her, and nothing else. She might even have someone like that here, in her home village. Maybe even _his_ feelings were just a simple crush, like the Hokage had said.

But the more he thought about it, the more he hated the idea. Temari was more than that to him, and he could only hope that it was the same for her.

* * *

"Well, that's that. We might as well go get something to eat now." Kankuro grinned. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we really don't have anything to eat here."

Shikamaru's lips raised a bit as he followed Kankuro to the front door. However, right as his host was about to open it, it flew open all by itself.

Temari emerged through the opening and caught the sight of Kankuro first. Her eyes soon shifted to the man behind him. Eyes wide with shock appeared before the two men. "You?"

Shikamaru was a little taken aback at being addressed so informally, but nevertheless, shifted a slight smile upon his face. "Thanks for remembering my name." He acknowledged, coming out from behind her brother.

Temari's set eyes darted quickly to Kankuro before setting back on the leaf shinobi, and than back to her brother. "How come you didn't tell me?!" She exclaimed, shoving her brother's shoulders.

Kankuro shrunk back a bit. "Ask Gaara, it wasn't my idea."

This was news to Shikamaru. Why the hell wouldn't he want her to know? What was the Kazekage thinking?

Temari cooled off a tad before continuing. "Whatever. Here, come explain it to me." She pointed to Shikamaru, and then turned to her brother. "You, go get me food. I'm _starving_."

Neither of them complained as they complied with the eldest sibling's wishes, each to their own task. Shikamaru caught the tiny relived sigh from Kankuro as the puppet user fled.

* * *

What awaited him as soon as Temari ushered him into her room took Shikamaru completely by surprise. Sure, it wasn't _unwanted,_ but surprising all the same. The blond grabbed him by his vest and pulled his face straight into her own, claiming his still slightly shocked lips. After a few moments she was the one to pull away for a quick breather. However, before she could continue what she had only moments ago started, Shikamaru held her fast.

"Hold on for a minuet." He gasped, still trying to recover breath. It seemed like the first part of his worries were gone. She still liked him, which was for sure. But now he needed to know something else. "I thought you wanted to know what happened."

Temari searched him for a moment before letting go. "I already know what happened. You four were attacked by rogue ninja, and Gaara took care of it." She leaned in for another go.

Surprisingly, even to himself, he kept holding her back. "Wait, Temari." She wasn't herself. "What's gotten into you? This problem is serious; shouldn't you be working on something?" What was he doing? First he complains that he can't see her, and now he's complaining about the fact that she won't leave him alone. Damn, maybe he was crazy?

Looking into her eyes, he noticed something for the first time seeing her again. Her eyes were a bit duller than usual, her skin was much paler than when he had last seen her, and there were slight dark marks under her eyes. Her cheeks were also a bit flushed. What has she been doing to herself? Why didn't he notice this before? He thought with a genuine look of concern thrown upon his normally blank face.

Temari caught the look before he could hide it and stepped away. "What?"

Shikamaru thought over his words carefully before he spoke them. "Temari, I think you need some rest." There. He said it. Now it was time for the explosion.

As if on cue, Temari's eyes burned. "What to you mean you think I need some sleep? What are you, my _mom_?!" She took a shaky step forward. "I can take care of myself just fine! I don't need—" She faltered, blinking a few times.

Shikamaru caught her as she fell, completely unconscious and burning with a fever. Fortunately for both of them, Shikamaru knew exactly what he needed to do. It seemed to him that growing up in a family that took care of medical business was actually quite helpful after all.

Gently laying her upon her bed, he marveled at how light she was. Shikamaru quickly grabbed a thin blanket, making sure not to over heat her, causing her fever to rise even higher. His next trip was to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water for her when she awoke.

* * *

"I still don't know how it could have happened." Raiga was saying; he was one of the sand sibling's neighbors. "She seemed perfectly fine this morning when she left. That was the last we saw of her." He nodded to the woman that was hanging onto his arm, presumably his wife.

Kankuro thanked the couple as he and Shikamaru headed back inside. When the two of them reentered Temari's room, she was already mostly awake. Once she spotted the Konoha shinobi, a light blush arose on her cheeks and she turned away.

"Why don't you try knocking next time?" She muttered, covering up a slight yawn with the back of her hand.

That was the Temari he knew, though she was still feverous, she didn't let that stop her from bossing them around. Shikamaru sighed with relief. She was recovering.

"Whatever." Kankuro replied; already back to the role of little brother. "Gaara should be back soon. The three of us have a meeting later on this afternoon with the council." He nodded towards Shikamaru as he headed out the door. "I suppose you should come too."

Once Kankuro was out of the room, Shikamaru made a move to follow his example, not wanting to be left alone again with her. She needed the rest in any case.

"Wait," Temari called before he could make it out the door. "Please, I need to talk to you."

Shikamaru twisted around to face her. It seemed that she wouldn't receive the rest she required at this point, so he might as well oblige her. He came up to her bed, grabbing a stool from the corner of the room before making it there to sit on. Once he was settled, Temari looked at him squarely.

"Listen, Shikamaru… About last night…"

Shikamaru caught her. "It was nothing, Temari. You were sick; you still are sick. It wasn't your fault."

Temari bore into his eyes, searching for something. What it was exactly, he didn't know. "You were right about one thing, Nara. I do have duties to take care of, and they do come before my own wishes. However, I do _not_ want to think of last night as 'nothing'."

Shikamaru was taken slightly aback.

"I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't mean it." Temari clarified. "And I know that goes the same for you."

She was right. Shikamaru thought. He didn't push her back straight away. He knew he wanted it. Before he could speak, Temari pushed in again.

"If we're going to make this work, Nara, than we're going to have to take it seriously. It doesn't come before work. Are we clear on that?" She inquired, looking him straight in the eyes.

He didn't even have to think about it. Nodding his head in agreement, he grabbed his stool, placed it back in its corner, and came back up to her side. "Nevertheless, right now, you need to sleep."

Before Temari could complain, he swept down and covered her lips with his own in a light kiss. "I'll come back with lunch later on." Fortunately for him, his back was already turned from her, so she didn't catch the slight blush that was slowly rising on his cheeks as he left.

Kankuro caught him as he came out the door. "Gaara needs us." It was simple, but all he needed to say.

The two of them quickly made their way to the Kazekage's office.

* * *

Shikamaru subtly surveyed the room he was currently in. Suna's council room as not too large, however, it was abundant enough in size to have room for the large round table and just enough chairs for the members. Gaara sat stoically two seats to his right, while Kankuro lounged back against his own seat in between them. It wasn't his first time in the room, but it was still hard to get used to. The last time, he wasn't permitted to sit at the table. This time, however, he was part of the council, though still from Konoha.

Once everyone was evidently there, Gaara silently called everyone to attention. Pulling out a long sheet of parchment, he set it firmly on the table. All eyes drifted from the Kazekage, to the note.

Gaara read it aloud.

_"As villagers of Suna, we hereby announce that what the council has agreed to on terms with Konohagakure is folly. To rely on such an ally is a thorn to our side. Our people suffer and grow lazy while we depend on others from a completely different village. We demand a meeting with the Kazekage to discuss further issues. A convoy will be sent to the front gate tomorrow afternoon. They will await the Kazekage's arrival, and guide him to our point of meeting. Do not be late. That is all."_

The note wasn't even signed.

Shikamaru couldn't believe what he heard. Folly to ally with Konoha? What was that? This must have something to do with the shinobi we encountered on the way here. Shikamaru thought as he turned to see faces occasionally direct themselves towards him.

Once Gaara finished, the council members turned to one another and muttered about the situation. Once they all came to their conclusions, one of the council men stood. After a quick glance towards Shikamaru, he focused on the Kazekage himself. "They are simply young villagers. It has happened before, this we all know. It is best to ignore them." Other heads nodded in agreement.

After a few more suggestions were announced, the council came to a conclusion that the letter was to be ignored, to the utter disbelief of Shikamaru. Why make such a stupid decision?

It seemed Gaara, Kankuro, and Baki thought the same thing. Nevertheless, there wasn't much he could do about it. He would have to simply wait until either what the council members said turned up to be true or something bad happened.

* * *

Unfortunately for Suna, and Shikamaru, something bad did happen.

"Where is she!?" Kankuro demanded, coming into the council room two days later.

Shikamaru came in right after him, barely keeping his cool. He wished he could have been the one to barge in, but that might not have been the greatest tactical move in his current position.

Already, almost all of the council members were seated and waiting. Kankuro cooled of slightly and made his way over to his seat, followed by an equally peeved leaf shinobi. Though he hid it much better.

Gaara's sat in his seat, stoic as ever, though below his desk, Shikamaru could see the Kazekage's hands tremble slightly. With a bit of scorn, Gaara threw another piece of paper onto the table, this time Baki read the note to himself before he read it out loud.

_"We told you not to be late. Unlike you, we take our pride seriously. Along with family. We propose that, if you don't want her hurt, you show up this time. Tomorrow at dawn. Bring who you will, but remember what the price is you will pay if you do something unpredictable."_

Again, it was anonymous.

Kankuro fumed, slamming two hardened fist onto the round table. "This is what happens when you ignore problems!" He was going over the edge, and no one seemed ready to stop him until Gaara tuned to his brother. The two of them exchanged looks.

Gaara turned to the council. "I believe Kankuro is right. This problem was not dealt with correctly, and now we are paying for it." Gaara took a quick glance at Shikamaru before he continued. "I will leave tomorrow with both Kankuro, and Shikamaru, of Konoha." Before anyone could object, Gaara spoke again. "If there are any problems with this, they may be addressed to me in private." And that was it.

* * *

Shikamaru couldn't believe it. Though Temari was sick, he still couldn't believe that someone like her could be kidnapped. Still… It had happened. Shikamaru was beside himself with worry. Though he knew they wouldn't dare kill her, they might still harm her. And she was, without a doubt, not one to give in without a fight.

Shikamaru sighed lightly as he stood from his bed. It was much different in the house now. Kankuro couldn't stop himself from destroying things, and Gaara spent most of his time alone. (actually, he normally did keep alone, just not as much as now)

He would just have to wait until tomorrow, when the three of them could figure out what was going on. And get Temari back.


	4. His Will to Fight

This was it. Shikamaru and his two companions waited silently at Suna's first gate. Neither of the sand siblings had uttered a word since the three of them had arrived, and it was slightly starting to irritate him. Sure, he enjoyed silence, but this just wasn't the time. He fidgeted slightly with both hands in his pockets, leaning back against a nearby tree. It shouldn't be taking so long. Geez, and theses were the guys who told _them_ not to be late…

A shaded figure stepped through the entrance, a brown cloak covering his being. "Follow," It was a simple command. He turned and headed straight back where he had come from, obviously expecting them to listen.

Shikamaru couldn't help but think this over. Here they were, following some unknown shinobi out of the village, to who knows where. And with the Kazekage no less! What was Gaara thinking? However, taking more time to think about it, he came to a conclusion. What else could they do? Temari was their prisoner, and they wanted Suna to break alliances with Konoha… Maybe he shouldn't be one of the ones to go.

He shook that idea from his head straight away, as the three of them slowly trailed behind their escort. Like he could leave this to someone else. It was Temari, he had to be there.

* * *

"Wait here." Their escort ordered blandly as he strode off.

They had been traveling for around an hour and a half when the shadowy shinobi lead them to a large cave. Around them were large boulders that seemed as if they would break away if the slightest of tremors hit them. Not a very logical place for a group of people to be standing in. However, what else could they do but obey? This was most likely getting on Gaara's and Kankuro's very nerves, as it was his.

Gaara stood frowning slightly against one of the edges of the rock. Kankuro was pacing around, muttering silent curses as he trailed, eyes narrowed. Shikamaru himself wasn't too far from either of them. For a moment, he would take up the pacing. A moment later he would realize what he was doing, than lean up against the rock opposite Gaara. A moment again and he would become worried or agitated and start up the pacing again. This definitely had to stop.

Right as he was about to begin his pacing again, the three of them turned at a slight noise from behind them. It was as if his enemies had read his mind and thrown one of the worst situations at them he could have thought possible. Over twenty shinobi stood at the entrance of the cave, each posed in a particular fighting stance.

He knew they shouldn't have trusted them. No, scratch that. They didn't trust them from the beginning.

Anger flashed on the sand sibling's faces. Shikamaru's mirrored them as well, though Gaara's face wasn't as direct as his older brothers.

It didn't take a genius like himself to know that they were greatly outnumbered. Even with Gaara, they stood out matched.

Shit, what the hell were they supposed to do now?

* * *

Temari cursed, slamming a manacled fist against the stone wall of her prison, gaining a slight red mark on her flesh in doing so.

She cursed over, and over, and over again. And when her 'caretakers' finally thought she was done, she cured a bit more, just in spite of them.

"When I get out of this, I am going to personally pound you into the ground myself, you shit heads!" Temari promised with venom, overly pissed as she stared at one standing against the opposite wall.

Again, for about the hundredth time that day, the shinobi in charge of her sighed. He tuned his blond head—one that could make any normal girl swoon—towards her. "Listen, if you don't shut up—"

"Why don't you come in here and make me!" Temari call from behind the bars they had put her in. Above that, they had fricken' chained her to the stupid wall!

His eyes narrowed into slits. He had had just about enough of her. Opening the door, the man strode in, locking the door behind him.

"What? Are you afraid I might get away?" She mocked, a smirk placed on her features.

He ignored her comment, coming up to her. "Listen, bitch," He started, slapping her across the face. The impact was strong enough to draw a bit of blood from her mouth. "If I tell you to do something, you damn as well had better do it." He gritted his teeth, sending another slap across her other cheek.

Temari seethed, staring up into the man's face. "I'll do whatever I want." She objected, spitting blood into his face. God, she wished she could just get her arms loose and punch him square in the face. Cocky bastard.

The man sneered, wiping back blond locks from his eyes. The shinobi's eyes were a bright hazel in color with elegantly set eyebrows above. His lips were strong and firm, matching the overall look of him. The only thing that argued against him was a stray scar that moved from his left cheek into his hairline, just missing his eye. His skin tone suggested he spent a good share of his time in the sun, and his well-toned muscles agreed with his body quite nicely.

His eyes narrowed again. Placing a firm grip on her jaw, he pulled her forward until her face came level with his own. "You are lucky they didn't call in one of the other guards. The others are loose with their drinks, and have a knack for getting in trouble with women." He looked her square in the eye. "I might not be able to get you out of here untouched. So please don't continue to provoke me. I might become tempted enough to leave for a while." Letting go of her, he left, locking the door behind him.

All Temari could do was stare.

* * *

"Shit," Kankuro cursed aloud as he pulled up another attack with his puppets. He was already soaked with perspiration, as were his two companions, and it seemed as if the amount of enemies never ended.

Shikamaru shared his enthusiasm, pulling a kunai up to block as a particularly tall shinobi came up against him. Gaara was on his own, dealing with five guys at once. They definitely needed to figure something out, and fast. If they waited too long, it might not end up well.

Gathering up some chakara, Shikamaru sent out a quick shadow, attempting to capture both the shinobi in front of him, and one of the ones attacking Kankuro. If he simply stalled at least one of them for a few seconds, the others could deal with them in a short matter of time.

Shikamaru paled as his attack failed to catch both shinobi. The tall one only a few strides away from him was still coming, blade in hand.

As if he had just realized something important, the attacker froze in mid stride. He stared blankly at Shikamaru for a moment, and then let out a slight smirk.

What the hell?

Quickly, the shinobi turned and went straight for where Kankuro was. With a cry, he lunged himself at one of the other shadowed shinobi, lodging his blade strongly into his companions back and out his chest, causing a wail of pain to come along with a flash of blood.

This only seemed too familiar… with shocked eyes, Shikamaru tuned quickly to the entrance, where multiple shinobi lay dead. Both Ino and Choji grinned back at him.

There was simply no time to ask questions as an enemy came charging at him. This time, Shikamaru caught him. Choji came up and punched the frozen shinobi with an enlarged arm, sending him straight into the rock with a sick crack. With a quick wave, the large shinobi from Konoha went back to work, throwing punches and kicks with deadly effect.

What a powerhouse. Shikamaru thought as he flung a kunai at a back-turned enemy.

* * *

Quickly after the Konoha reinforcements arrived the battle ended. Shikamaru's friends had taken the enemy shinobi completely by surprise.

A problem arose as Shikamaru wiped away the sweat off his brow. What were they going to do about Temari? Gaara seemed to have the same idea.

"It is obvious now that they never had any intention to negotiate at all." Gaara stated blankly, not showing his weariness though they all knew it was there.

What he had said left an open mark for the subject of Temari. Shikamaru couldn't help but think about what they would do to her. Had they even kept her alive in the first place? If they were planning to fight all along, what was the point in keeping her alive?

Unfortunately, Shikamaru couldn't think of a single one.

* * *

Temari's head shot up as she heard the door of her prison slide open. Makoto—the blond guard—entered silently, a blank look set upon his features. Coming up to her sitting form, he gazed down at her with unwavering hazel eyes.

"I am afraid I have some unpleasant news for you." He started, placing his arms across his chest. "You are to be discarded immediately. Either you let me complete my job without trouble and I do it quickly, or I call in one of the others. It is your choice."

Temari didn't know how to handle this situation. Wasn't she a prisoner? They couldn't kill her unless…

Shock filled her eyes quickly before she rid herself of the emotion and glared at Makoto. "You can't."

Unexpectedly, Makoto smirked. Leaning down so that he was level with Temari, he gripped her tightly by the top of her head and jerked back, pulling hard at her own blond locks. She bit back a scream as he pulled back. "Oh really?"

Pulling a kunai from a pack in the back of his belt, he traced her neckline gently with it, causing only the slightest of a scratch. He lightly trailed down, until the tip of the blade was directly over her heart. "Don't tempt me, bitch."

Anger flooded her senses, overflowing throughout her mind and clearing out any reasonable thought. "Like I said before, bastard," She spit at him again, hitting him square in the face. "I'll do whatever I want."

With a slight noise of dismay, Makoto stood, replacing the kunai back where he took it from. "Suit yourself. I warned you." And he was gone.

Temari heard a loud blot of drunken laughter as the large wooden door outside her cell closed shut, leaving her alone to think of what she might have done.

Oh shit.


	5. His Choice

**Chapter five, His Choice. **

Tsunade sat calmly at her large wooden desk, contemplating her earlier actions. With a sigh, the fifth Hokage stood, turning around to face the huge full-sized window behind her. Below were Konoha's streets, bustling with villagers going about their everyday work. While some held specific jobs they were attending to, other were simply there, walking around like they had not a trouble or care in the world.

They had no idea how much she envied them at that particular moment. To be able to simply be there, and yet not at the same time. If she were to walk by, a myriad of complaints, comments, or problems would be thrown at her in an instant. It wasn't as if she hated her people, or helping them in that matter. She merely needed a break every once in a while.

With another sigh, she slowly turned back around and leaned up against the sill of the window. Konoha was still under rebuilding stages, and they needed all the help they could receive. Tsunade couldn't let the other villages know of their prominent weakness, though she already suspected most of them already knew quite well how terrible they were doing.

That was the reason she had been so reluctant to let Shikamaru leave. Even though he was completely lazy and had hardly any ambition what so ever that she knew of, he was still one of the most intelligent shinobi she had even met, along with his natural leadership abilities he no doubt had no clue he even possessed. He was a very valuable asset to their current situation, and with him outside the village, she was hard pressed to fill in his vacant positions.

And even now, the Kazekage had asked for reinforcements. She was tempted to simply refuse. However, Suna's own situation was lacking, and they needed support. She wasn't one who could abandon others, no matter how much she tried to put up the front that she didn't care. So she had allowed Shikamaru's team to go after him. The Kazekage had sent word about the situation right after the problem started.

Again, for about the hundredth time that day, she sighed.

* * *

Shikamaru and his four companions sat round a small fire, placed not too far from the cave in which they had battled. Staring across the fire at Gaara, he threw a small twig into the flame. "So, now what?" He asked. The question hung over the five shinobi.

Kankuro was the first to answer. "We go get Temari, duh." He still seemed rather peeved about the whole fact that they had been duped.

Did he think he was the only one here who cared about her? "Okay then, where do you propose we start?" He asked the puppet user, tossing another unfortunate twig into the fire to be engulfed.

Kankuro seemed to be taken aback at his straight answer, and scowled at him. Nevertheless, before he could retort, he was shut up by a blank stare from his younger brother.

The Kazekage gazed around the fire at the others, catching each person's eyes before he began to speak. "We leave at dawn." Announced Gaara, picking himself up.

There was no explanation as to where they were headed. However, they all obeyed the Kazekage, and all went off to find a place to rest.

* * *

Shikamaru let out a breath of air he forgot he was holding as he slowly trod away from the site. Gazing up at the bright stars above him, he paused. He paused to simply stare. To stare and forget. Because forget was all he wanted to do. It bothered him too much, knowing that he should have been with her while she was sick. And yet, he had left. All three of them had left her, thinking that she would be fine, that nothing could happen to her. She was, after all, _Temari of the desert_. Who in their right mind would mess with her?

Shikamaru shut his eyes as a mixture of worry, guilt, and strangely of all, need, arose in him. Worry, because of what might happen to Temari now. Guilt, because of the fact that he should have been able to protect her. However, he couldn't find a reason for the third emotion. Did he _need_ Temari? When did she become so crucial to his everyday life?

A slight noise brought him out of his thoughts. He spun on his heels as a blond haired woman stepped out from the nearby brush. For a moment, he dared to hope that it was Temari.

But it wasn't.

It wasn't Temari.

Ino smiled slightly as she came up to him, both hands clenched behind her back. Her ice-like colored eyes bore into his own dark orbs.

For the next few moments the two of them plainly started at each other, neither one of them willing to start up the conversation he knew she would want to bring up. He had assumptions, of course. Ever since the day she had given him his mission, he had had suspicions. He really hoped that she would simply forget about it. If she even mentioned it, it could cause awkwardness for the both of them. Oh, how he seriously hoped that she would just forget.

The blond smiled lightly. "Shikamaru, do you think we could talk?" She asked boldly.

Shikamaru suppressed an upcoming flinch. Calm down. This might be about something else entirely.

"Sure." He answered coolly, hiding any trace of the hesitation he might have shown. Showing unease was a definite bad idea.

If she had seen anything, Ino acted like she didn't. "You know, Shikamaru." She started, setting herself down on a bed of leaves beneath her.

Where was she going with this?

"I keep trying to understand why you're doing this. Really, I do. But don't you think it's going a bit far?"

Shikamaru looked down to her, confused. "What's going a bit far?"

Ino sighed, blowing a stray piece of her hair from her face. "You know, this whole 'Saving Suna' thing. You already know the alliance between us is shaky. Why do you keep refusing to see that it's all pointless?"

"It's not pointless, Ino." Shikamaru replied firmly. "It just seems like everyone's giving up. If we just tried a little harder, we could make the alliance—"

Anger suddenly intruded Ino's features. "We all know you don't care shit about the stupid alliance, Shikamaru! All you care about is that woman!" She interjected with venom.

Shikamaru was taken aback by her abrupt outburst. His irritation quickly fumed at the atrocity of her statement. "Listen, Ino—"

"No, Nara Shikamaru, you listen! The only reason you're even here right now is because that stupid bitch bewitched you."

Shikamaru took a forceful step forward. "Don't you ever call Temari a bitch!" He spat through grinding teeth, eyes narrowed.

Ino's eyes widened for a moment, then mimicked his own. "I'll call her whatever I want. It's her fault we're even in this mess to begin with! If it wasn't for her, we would all be back in Konoha right now!"

"You're the one that encouraged me!" Shikamaru retorted, thinking back to the advice she had given him.

"Well, that was obviously a mistake! I though you were smarter then this, Shikamaru."

"I guess you were wrong." He shot back, staring at her with unwavering dark eyes.

"I guess I was." Was her simple reply as she stood up. "I came here because the Hokage-sama asked me to. She thought I might be able to reach you." Shikamaru was surprised to see the lone tear trail down her face. "She was wrong too, huh?"

"I guess so."

Ino's eyes spread wide at that. "I only came to get you, Shikamaru! Please, just come back. Temari's brothers can handle this on their own. They don't need you!"

"They might not need me." The shadow user started. "Hell, she might not even need me." He looked at her with both determination and something else Ino couldn't identify. "But I know that I need her. And right now, that's all that matters to me."

With that, she left.

When he had woken up in the morning, he wasn't shocked to see that his two companions and their things were nowhere in sight.

* * *

A/N PLEASE READ! Yes, I know it was short, but I felt like I had to end the chapter there. Please, tell me what you think! I have been really working hard on other things in real life, and I am not so sure I should continue writing this. Not trying to dump things on you, but life has been getting hard, and there are other things I need to handle. I will try to write more, I really will, if that is what you guys want.


	6. His Memories

**Chapter Six, His Memories**

_**He remembered flowers**__. All around him were flowers. Large ones, small ones, blue, pink, purple, orange... Any color you could think of. Most of them grew in Konoha, but the reason the store was so famous was because of the plants that grew out side of the country. Ino and her father could bring plants from all over, because of their Shinobi missions. __**Yes, he remembered this time…**_

_The blond turned in shock to find her friend standing before her. "Shikamaru? What are you doing here?" She asked with wide ice-blue eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, like always, but today it was loose, and placed lower on the back of her head. The color almost reminded him of someone... __**It **_**did**_** remind him of someone. He was just too much of an idiot back then to admit it.**_

"_Um, yeah. Could you take a short break?" Shikamaru inquired, scratching the back of his head. __**I was such an idiot…**__ "I just have a small question that I need help with."_

_If Ino was shocked at first, that was nothing. Shikamaru, the mastermind, super genius Shikamaru, was asking for help with something?! Now that was surprising._

"_Yeah, just wait in the back. I'll be right there." She pointed to a red door behind her with long vines growing around it. __**He remembered he was afraid to go in. Why was he afraid? He couldn't remember...**__The back wasn't much different then the front, it was most likely just an extra work room. He heard the door behind him open, and Ino came striding into the room._

"_Okay, what is it?" She asked brightly, bringing her arms around her back and grabbing the ties to her green and pink apron._

_The Shinobi leaned up against a tall pillar that was in the middle of the room, painted green and pastel-pink to mach almost everything else in the shop. _

"_Um, well, I kind of guess I said something weird..." He started, but stopped suddenly when he saw a smile form on Ino's face. "What?" His voice rang defensively._

"_Nothing, continue. Please!" __**He knew even then that she was laughing at him.**_

_Shikamaru sighed. What ever. He might as well get it over with. Really, what could go wrong? He should just tell her the truth and be done with it. "I told someone that they talked too much, and they got unnecessarily defensive. They haven't talked to me since." __**He shouldn't have even come to her… But if he hadn't, would he and Temari never have made up?**_

_Ino's grin came back. "So?"_

"_So, what do I do?" He inquired impatiently. __**He just remembered how much he hated it when she did that.**_

"_What do you want?" She twirled her long blond locks in her fingers, playing out the innocent friend._

"_What do you think?" Okay, this wasn't as easy as he fist planed it out._

"_Who is it?" She asked. __**Now he knew, she already knew it was Temari… Why had she wanted them to make up if she didn't like Temari in the first place? Did she think it wouldn't work out?**_

"_Why do you need to know?" He retorted, tired of all of her questions. He just wanted a simple answer!_

"_So, what do I do?" He tried again with a slight edge._

"_To get Temari to talk to you?" She asked with a slight glimmer in her bold blue eyes. __**I can't believe she tricked me this easily! **_

"_Yes!" Shikamaru exclaimed a bit too late. He had been frustrated, and hadn't thought about every thing she had said until after he yelled. Shikamaru lowered his head, trying to cover the slight blush that was coming onto his face. Oh, great._

"_I knew it!" She expressed with triumph._

"_Knew what?!" He demanded, aggravated that she would start assuming things that weren't true._

_Ino stopped. "Nothing."_

_Shikamaru sighed. "Okay, fine. Let's say it is Temari. What did I do?"_

"_Well, what exactly did you say?" She started, getting serious._

"_I simply told her that she talks too much. That was it. Then she stormed off and hasn't talked to me since." __**Wow, I was really stupid back then. I'm not to sure I'm completely healed of that same stupidity even now… **_

"_Well, there's your problem! Why the hell did you tell her that?!"_

"_Because," He started, confused as to why she had so suddenly yelled. "She does." __**Shit, even remembering this hurt his pride…**_

_Ino shut her eyes and looked almost as if she were about to die. "Listen, Shikamaru. If you were dating a girl that was a little on the chubby side, would you tell her she was fat?"_

_Shikamaru thought about it. "No." Then caught something she had said. "Wait, are you insinuating that Temari and I are together?"_

_Ino frowned. "No. I said 'if you were dating a girl', I didn't say 'if you were dating Temari'."_

"_So you're calling her fat?" __**Shikamaru inwardly slapped himself repeatedly.**_

"_No!" Ino yelled. He delved into thing way too much! "I'm just saying this hypothetically! God, Shikamaru! What is it with you today? You're acting like Naruto!"_

_Now that got his attention. "What?" __**I can't believe she would insult me so!**_

"_You're acting like Naruto! You aren't even listening to me!"_

"_Okay, I'm sorry. I would not call her fat if I were going out with a girl that was 'a bit on the chubby side'." __**I don't think I would go out with a girl if she were 'a bit on the chubby side'.**_

_Ino smiled, glad that he was back. "Just tell her you're sorry." __**And why couldn't she have simply told him this from the start?**_

* * *

Now he remembered this conversation. He thought she wanted him to get with Temari. Though, he didn't really know what he wanted back then. She must have figured that with them living so far away from each other, he and Temari would have broken it up from the beginning. What did she think when she found out about his relationship with Temari? Was she confused? Angry? Or, God forbid, maybe even glad?

Well, whatever. That was then, and this is now. He had to find a way to get her back, and his two friends weren't going to help.

_**

* * *

**__"I—I'm," He started. It was harder then he had thought it would be._

"_You're what?" She inquired, bored. __**She didn't think he had the guts. But she had told him later on that week that she had thought about going of to find him and apologize. It was hard to think about her apologizing to anyone. He laughed right in her face.**_

"_Sorry." He finished as a blush slowly started creeping its way over his cheekbones._

_When he played the scenario over and over in his mind, he had seen things like her plain rejecting him, or just a normal 'okay' and everything would be back to where it was when she arrived in Konoha. Every thing could be the same. __**But in reality, he didn't want it to be the same.**_

_What he received was much more then he had expected. It wasn't as if he didn't like it, however, it simply wasn't what he had preconceived._

_Temari deftly got up from her seat and, with out his knowledge or consent, wrapped her arms tightly around his now stiff body. __**He had actually frozen up.**_

_Every second that she held him another shade of pink would slowly ascend though his cheeks. Though it would have been quite awkward if, say, this had happened when they had first met, height and all. But he had grown considerably, and she hadn't really budged much in height. He was now at least a foot taller then her. __**He was much taller then her now. He was actually taller than all of the shinobi in his age group.**_

_If he thought he was confused before, then his mind must not be as good as people thought it was. I mean, really! He had expected something like, 'you should be' or 'yeah right' but no! He now had her squeezing the life out of him!_

_Women were confusing. Even his mastermind brain couldn't predict what they were going to do next!_

_Back to the present problem... What should he do with his hands?__** Temari had taught him what to do with his hands the following night.**_

_At the moment, they were dangling at his sides. Was he supposed to hug her back? Push her away? God! What was he supposed to do! At least he had relaxed his body so that it wasn't ridged like a board anymore._

_Before he could even do a thing, Temari pulled back. He was relieved when he saw that she, too, was blushing "I'm sorry."_

_Shikamaru didn't know what to do... Still..._

_So he settled with. "It's okay."_

_That gave him a smile from her. Her teeth were so perfect! He didn't ever remember someone with such nice teeth. Though, he hadn't really ever paid attention to anyone's teeth before now... So..._

"_We still friends?" Temari asked, grin still planted perfectly upon her lit up face. __**He hadn't known that she wanted to be more than that even from that moment.**_

_Friends? Had he ever considered them friends before?_

"_Sure." He answered, and, to his horror, he finished with, "Always." _

_At that, Temari burst into laughter and tears. What was it with her?!_

_Again, his blush grew. "Hey! Come on now!"_

_The sand Shinobi tried to suppress her fit, but it seemed as if she wasn't trying hard enough._

_Whatever..._

* * *

Whatever indeed. God, he just couldn't stop thinking about her! He really had it bad. How was she? He hoped that she was okay.

Shikamaru set his face firmly as the three shinobi started to pack up their light camp. They had slept with simply the ground around them, since they hadn't brought anything with.

_**

* * *

**__"Temari, I think I should be heading back now—" Temari shut him up as she pulled him into a tight embrace, settling her lips upon his own. It was strange still, to kiss her. But he had become accustomed to it. And of course, the two of them kept it a secret from everyone that they were together. Shikamaru suspected that Temari's younger brother, Gaara might suspect something, but he wasn't saying anything, so it was fine. _

_Temari pulled back for a moment, gasping slightly for breath. Shikamaru took this chance to take over. No matter how dominate she was, he wouldn't let her stay like that for long. He was the man, after all. To show this, Shikamaru gripped her wrists in both hands and held them up above her head as he gently pressed her against the wall of her room. Temari was slightly taken aback, but recovered quickly as the shadow user's lips came descending onto her own. _

_He had stayed over for a while longer then he had anticipated that night. And his mother scolded him when he arrived home. _

* * *

Gaara stopped abruptly, halting the two of them. With a simple hand signal, the three of them headed off again.

This was it.


	7. His Promise

**Chapter seven, His Promise**

Temari paled as three men entered the room, each one with a sadistic grin etched upon their face. She had to get out of this place, now. And these thee men were going to help her out.

They didn't waist any time, that was for sure. As they entered her prison, two of them stayed back at the barred door. The third man was tall and slender, with long black hair resting at his shoulder blades. His black eyes priced her own as he pulled a knife from his belt.

"This won't hurt a bit." He sneered, licking the blade as if it were supposed to scare her. Yeah right.

It won't hurt me, in any case. She thought, cowering in fear. It was exactly what he had wanted her to do. This was all too easy.

As the too-thin man with the blade came closer, she silently slipped her hands out of the manacles that she had previously loosened. They suppressed chakra, and they had immediately expected her to be completely helpless. Idiots.

* * *

The blond shinobi had made quick work with the three drunken men. It wasn't even challenging, though she had refused to use her chakra and defeated all three of them with her taijutsu alone.

After locking up the three of them, she shut the barred door with a grin, pleased with herself. However, she had not anticipated extra company.

Makoto walked up to her from the open doorway, half-smile on his hansom face. "I am most sorry." He apologized.

With Temari's blank look of confusion, Makoto elaborated. "For sending in three idiotic men and expecting them to be able to handle you, I am deeply sorry for underestimating. Unfortunately," He started again as his grin vanished. "The job must be done. That is why I am here."

Temari had expected an attack the moment he finished talking. She knew now that he wasn't a man to mess with his food before devouring it. He pulled his Kunai swiftly from his pouch and sprinted menacingly towards Temari. However, before Temari could even attempt to parry his blow, he stopped. He had a strange look on his face, as if he were contemplating on even killing her. Still, a look of confusion, and then anger replaced his features. And she knew instantly what was going on. Her eyes rushed towards the open door.

Shikamaru slid from the shadows of the doorway, and placed his arms down against his sides. Makoto mimicked his movement. With a smirk he addressed Temari. "Miss me?"

* * *

The blond shinobi sighed with agitation clearly written across his face. "And here I thought you were dead."

Shikamaru smirked. "I guess you were mistaken."

Makoto tried to break free of the shadow, but his effort seemed pointless as the most he could do was twitch a finger here and there. "It seems that I have underestimated my enemies' one too many times." He pointed out.

"You should have thought through your plan enough to realize that attacking the Kazekage was an idiotic move to begin with." Shikamaru retorted blandly.

Temari saw his face become a snarl. "I wasn't aware that I asked for your opinion."

Abruptly, the three of them heard a noise coming from behind the door. Shikamaru turned just in time to see Kankuro sprint into the room as an alarm sounded from apparently nowhere. "What's taking you so long? Gaara's coming." Kankuro stared from Makoto's back, to Temari's face. "Finish him up, Shikamaru." He ordered with a rare stoic expression.

As Shikamaru nodded, Makoto started a soft chuckle. Confused, all three of them turned to the tall frozen shinobi.

"Well, since the Kazekage himself is coming, I do not believe I should stay much longer." He set his gaze firmly upon Temari. "But be assured, I will complete my mission." And in a sudden spout of smoke, he was gone.

* * *

Resting against the safe walls of his room in Suna once again, Shikamaru turned to the Kazekage. "So, what's the news?" He asked.

Gaara turned from his brother to address the Konoha shinobi. "Most of the rebels have been dealt with, though there still are some that escaped the after invasion when we left. One including their leader's right-hand man, Makoto Hibishi."

Shikamaru mentally punched himself. How could he have let the man escape?

Temari turned to him. "It wasn't your fault, idiot." She scolded, obviously catching the reason for his disposition.

Shikamaru sighed. "I need to be leaving in three days, to take my report back to Konoha." He started, throwing off the previous subject. "I should be back about a week later."

Gaara quickly turned to Kankuro. Nodding silently, he and the puppet user left the room, closing the door behind them as they went, leaving only Shikamaru and Temari.

It was an awkward silence, by all means. Neither of the two would even so much as look at the other for a time.

With an abrupt pull of courage, Shikamaru finally spoke. "Temari… listen, I'm—"

Temari cut him off before he could even finish his broken sentence. "I said it wasn't your fault, didn't I?" Temari straightened up from her leaning position on the wall and came over to the bed where the shadow user was lounging. As Shikamaru turned to look up at her, she threw herself at him, forcing him down onto his back on the soft bed.

"Just don't let it happen again." She mumbled into his black shirt as she gripped it with both hands.

Shikamaru silently agreed.

He wouldn't let it happen again.

"I'll get him, Temari. You know I will." Shikamaru told her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

Temari closed her eyes, content with simply lying there with him. "I know."

"I promise."

* * *

A/N: Well, this is it! If I have time, I will write another one Peace! 


End file.
